2014 BMW I3

The contact owns a 2014 BMW I3. The contact stated that while driving at 49 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal screeching sound and was leaning on the driver's side rear-end. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where a rear-end inspection was performed, and the contact was informed that no failure was found. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown engine mount bracket recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 154,140.

BMW Service Bulletin SI B22 04 15 to replace motor mount bolts and other components due to failure in 2016 was done on my vehicle in 2016. BMW has replaced all motor mounts in 2014 and 2015 i3's in Europe. The motor mounts were redesigned for 2016 and newer models. From online forums I see that many of the 2014 and 2015 North American i3 motor mounts continue to fail as they have on my BMW i3. I am reporting this failure in order for NHTSA to review this vehicle for a recall on motor mounts for all 2014 and 2015 USA BMW i3's.

back in march 2025 my 2014 BMW i3 REX gave out a "Drivetrain Malfunction" error. The car's propulsion died while driving. I was driving in the street on the way home from picking up my chidren from school when the power completely shut off while driving. I had a full battery charge and also had about 44 miles worth of gas to use. I pull over to the side of the road, turn the car off and tried to turn it back on but it wouldnt move. i was about 1 mile from home and was able to get the car towed home using AAA. The error code disappeared the next day and i kept driving the car it felt as if it the problem went away. Fast forward Augist 1 2025, the car once again shut off while in the middle of the street driving. I could not get it back on and once again had to get it towed. Once home it started back up like nothing wihtin a few hours. A week later on August 8 it did it again but this time i was driving on the freeway. I was soo afraid for my life because the car started to slow down as if it was runing out of gas and barely made it to get onto the side of the road away from traffic. Once again the car got towed home i was 4 miles away from home. These occurences continue to happen more frequently now. With each time the car started the error message reappeared and the propulsion died. This is gettting out of hand and becoming dangerous for me.

When the vehicle depletes it's battery and switches over to the range extender or the gas engine, the car will suddenly shut off and a drivetrain error appears. This seems to only happen when the car is traveling over 55 mph. This has happened on repeated occasions. If you then leave the car sit for several minutes and then turn it back on, it is driveable as long as it is driven under 55 mph. Since this only happens at higher speeds, it's been extremely dangerous because other cars are also traveling at high speeds and this has happened once on a freeway where the speed limit was 70 mph. If there's no shoulder to guide the car onto when this happens, the car would be disabled on the road because it will not drive again right away. I've taken it in to fix and the mechanic said it was a software update that was needed. However, the problem happened again a few months later. There was no warning before this happened both times it occurred.

THE LEFT BRACKET FOR THE ELECTRIC ENGINE IS CRACKED AND THE DEALER WANTS SUBSTANTIALLY MORE FOR A REPLACEMENT ONE WHICH HAPPENS TO BE COMPLETELY REDESIGNED FROM A CHEAP PLASTIC PART WHICH EQUIPS MY CAR TO A MORE STUDY AND IMPROVED ONE FOR THE LATEST MODELS OF THE SAME MAKE. AS I DID SOME RESEARCH THE SAME ISSUE WAS SUBJECTED TO A FORMAL SAFETY RECALL IN EUROPE. HERE MY WARRANTY EXPIRED SO THE DEALER WANTS TO CHARGE ME A HEFTY FEE FOR WHAT IS BASICALLY A REPAIR TO A MANUFACTURER'S RECOGNIZED DESIGN FLAW. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED AS MANY OWNERS OF THIS CAR WILL NOT REPAIR THIS ISSUE WHICH CAN BE FAILED TO BE IDENTIFIED OR WILL BALK AT THE PRICE TAG OF THE CHANGE. IF THE BRACKET FAILS THE WHOLE ENGINE AND DRIVESHAFT WILL DROP AND INTERFERE WITH REAR WHEEL ALIGNMENT RESULTING IN A POSSIBLE CATASTROPHIC LOSS OF CONTROL. THE REPLACEMENT BRACKET IS ALUMINIUM VS THE ORIGINAL ONE IN PLASTIC SO THEY ARE TRYING TO QUICKLY SWEEP THIS DESIGN FLAW UNDER THE RUG. THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC CRASHES OF THIS TYPE OF CAR IN THE PAST DUE TO IT BUT CROSSING MY FINGERS IT DIDN'T HAPPEN. THE PICTURES I INCLUDE SHOW WHERE THE REPLACEMENT NEEDS TO HAPPEN. #3 IS WHERE THE CRACK IS AND I ALSO HAVE A VIDEO I CAN SUBMIT IF NEEDED.

I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME WITHOUT WARNING TO ME OR OTHER OWNERS OF SIMILAR VEHICLES PUTTING MY SAFETY AND OTHER'S SAFETY AT GREAT RISK. ON MAY 20, 2020, I WAS STOPPED ON A RED LIGHT AT NECKEL RD TO CROSS HIGHWAY 86 IN IMPERIAL CA. WHEN IT TURNED GREEN, I RELEASED THE BREAK PEDAL AND NORMALLY ACCELERATED. SUDDENLY MY VEHICLE STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF HIGHWAY 86 AND PUT ITSELF IN THE PARK POSITION SHOWING "DRIVE TRAIN FAULT" ALARM. IT STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CAR'S TRAFFIC AND I WAS NOT ABLE TO SHIFT IT TO NEUTRAL POSITION TO MOVE IT OUT OF THE WAY. WITH VEHICLES TRAFFIC MOVING AROUND ME, I TURN MY CAR OFF AND ON THREE TIMES, WITH ABOUT TEN SECONDS IN BETWEEN OFF AN ON, BEFORE THE ALARM WOULD RESET. ONCE THE ALARM CLEARED, I ABORTED MY SHORT TRIP AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT BACK HOME SAFELY BUT I AM CONCERN THIS MAY HAPPEN AGAIN AT ANY TIME AT HIGHER SPEEDS PUTTING MY SAFETY AND OTHERS' SAFETY AT RISK. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF OTHER HAVE REPORTED SIMILAR ISSUES / COMPLAINS WITH THIS VEHICLES AND WHAT IS BMW DOING ABOUT IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. *TR

WHEN THE DRIVETRAIN FAILURE LIGHT COMES ON, THE MOTOR FAILS, THEN LOCKS UP IN PARK. YOU CONNOT THEN PUT IT IN NEUTRAL TO GET IT OFF THE ROAD. EVEN THE TOWTRUCK NEEDS DOLLIES TO GET REAR WHEELS OFF THE GROUND. THIS HAPPENED TWICE WHILE STATIONARY, AND SEVERAL TIMES ON THE ROAD. IF I HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO ROLL TO SHOULDER, IT COULD HAVE CREATED AN ACCIDENT. THERE SHOULD BE A WAY TO GET TO ZNEUTRAL.

IN SEVERAL OCCASION, A DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN THE CITY. A "DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION" LIGHTS UP AND CAR STOPS AND WILL NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR AGAIN. I TURNED OFF THE CAR FOR A MINUTE THEN ON AGAIN, THE LIGHT DISAPPEARED. THIS HAPPENED TWICE. THE THIRD TIME I STARTED UP MY CAR AND THE LIGHT APPEARED AGAIN AND THIS TIME THE LIGHT REMAINED AND THE CAR IS IMMOBILIZED. IT IS VERY ODD THAT A DRIVE TRAIN IS MALFUNCTIONED AFTER ONLY 39,000 MILES. I HAVE LEARNED THAT MOST OF THE DRIVE TRAIN ON THE I3 ARE OFTEN MALFUNCTION AND IS EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR. I HAVE A 2014 BASE MODEL AND WAS TOLD THAT IT HAS GONE OUT OF WARRANTY BECAUSE THE 5 YEARS CAME BEFORE THE 50,000 MILES.